Two Projects on Florence Wish List

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Two road projects have been placed on a wish list for the City of Florence, in hopes of securing special state funds to make them a reality.

What lies between the dead end of West College Street and Alabama Highway 20 in Florence, could pave the way to growth and economic development.

"Since you would think that there would be a sizeable traffic increase to go across toward the sports complex, and any other developments that happen out that way, that's an area we think is ripe development," says Phil Stevenson, a spokesperson for the City of Florence.

On the list of things to do, building a new bridge and roadway across Cypress Creek.

Across town, city leaders are faced with another challenge, replacing a portion of Wood Avenue. It’s one of the oldest streets in the city.

According to Stevenson, "It means extensive work there. To do it and do it right you got to go down to the beginning and start over."

The City of Florence is asking for 12-million dollars out of the proposed Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Projects fund.

If approved, both projects could get the green light. If not, the city will have to look for other ways to fund the costly projects.

"To be able to do a project like this, it would be extremely difficult, without significant debt," Stevenson said.

Debt city leaders don't want to take on just quite yet. The estimated cost for the Cypress Creek bridge project is 10-million dollars. Seven blocks of Wood Avenue that need rebuilding, comes in at just over one hundred thousand dollars per block.